The present invention relates to a distress light and signal system and, more particularly, to a distress light and signal system wherein a person responding to an emergency may reach a house rapidly by visually locating a light upon reaching the vicinity of the house.
In the past, there have been many diverse types of emergency warning devices for the home. These have included smoke detectors, burglar alarms, and other such devices designed to alert those in and/or outside the home of the existence of an emergency requiring prompt attention. However, despite the number and variety of such devices, a serious problem exists which has yet to be addressed in a satisfactory manner.
In particular, there has been a serious need for a distress light and signal system for aiding those responding to emergencies. It has often been the case, particularly with those living in rural areas, that firemen, policemen, and paramedics have had considerable difficulty in locating the site of an emergency, and the lost time has often resulted in unnecessary damage to property and, most importantly, aggravation of serious medical conditions and even death. While many communities have implemented the utilization of special location numbers, i.e., fire numbers, this has proven to be less than entirely satisfactory particularly at night when it is difficult to locate and read the numbers.
Moreover, in an emergency, it is often the case that the person telephoning emergency personnel will forget to give vital information. They may, for instance, give only partial or incomplete information about the nature of the emergency, their address, their fire number, their name, or other critical facts. As a result, it is often difficult for emergency personnel to respond rapidly in the most appropriate fashion with the equipment needed to deal with the emergency and, in many cases, valuable time is lost. This can result in tragedies that could have been avoided had there been available a fully operational distress system taking into account these factors. Accordingly, it has remained to provide a distress light and signal system of the type disclosed herein.